Rimac Automobili Concept_One Preview

Rimac Automobili, Croatia’s first ever car manufacturer, have just announced the arrival of their first ever model. It’s called the Concept_One, and it will be officially unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

Rimac Automobili are aiming high with their first model. Not content with just producing a run-of-the-mill family car, the company’s first model is a 100 percent electric powered supercar which features four electric motors providing a combined 1,088 horsepower! The front and rear drive systems are independent of each other, and each system includes two high-speed, liquid cooled permanent magnet electric motors, two liquid-cooled inverter units and two reduction gearboxes. The 1,088 horsepower output is dwarfed by the massive torque output of 3,800 Nm (2,800 lb-ft), and as you might expect the performance is fairly monumental too. The 0-62 mph (100 km/h) sprint is over after just 2.8 seconds, and the speed limiter kicks in at 190 mph (305 km/h).
The battery modules fitted in the Rimac Automobili Concept_One were developed in-house by the company after extensive testing in both street and race situations. In total the 10 battery modules – located in various positions throughout the car – house 92 kWh of energy.

Although the Concept_One is Rimac Automobili’s first car they’ve built from the ground up, the company has been using its expertise in electric drivetrains for some time in modified competition vehicles. Their latest outing was in the e-Miglia Rally where they campaigned in an electric-powered BMW M3. The e-M3 is basically the test mule for battery technologies, battery management, propulsion systems and other technology which will be used in the Concept_One.

Due to the fact the Rimac Automobili Concept_One is fitted with some very clever bits of hardware and software, and the fact each wheel has its own dedicated motor, the driver can select different handling modes. Each wheel can independently accelerate or decelerate hundreds of times per second to provide infinitely adjustable traction control and stability control. Rimac Automobili call this system All Wheel Torque Vectoring (AWTV).

Together with the very low center of gravity, extremely high torque available almost from zero RPM and the lack of shift interruptions, the Rimac Automobili Concept_One should deliver a driving experience like no other car.

The styling of the Rimac Automobili is something we’ll have to guess at for now. But based on what’s visible under the digital cover placed over the concept, we should be looking as something pretty special come mid-September.

4 Comments

Well Tesla was from Croatia so I can only expect good stuff from Rimac and his crew. Just because one country isn’t famous for it’s cars doesn’t mean you need to be negative about it. Naprijed Hrvatska!!!

Just a quick G translation of the above comment for non-Spanish speakers! Thanks Carlos.

It is very interesting and innovative engine concept and especially the cooling system proposed by Rimac.

I’m working on a similar option two opposite windings, with single axis within a single housing, and connecting in the middle of both engines to a differential. It is quite similar to the design of Rimac, but my engines are just 10 Kw to 20 Kw peak. A motor is wound to provide high torque at speeds from 01 rpm to 1300 rpm, the other motor starts running when the motor / differential reaches 600 rpm and goes up to 6000 rpm, with 3,200 rpm point suit. I found it great double cooling system water / oil used by Rimac.

It would appear that every one hundred years Croatia is able to produce a genius capable of completely changing the tech world. Congratulations!